A Lesson Learned
“Looking back, what would you have done differently?”
This thoughtful question was asked of the provost and me last week during the employee town hall, and I have continued to contemplate my answer. It is the kind of question we ask our students—one that invites intentional reflection, a core principle of the 4D Experience and, not coincidentally, the title of this newsletter.
The University of Denver is facing a difficult budgetary reality, one that has been shaped by a convergence of forces: a challenging national political climate, the enrollment cliff, post‑COVID shifts, and growing skepticism about the value of a college degree. These pressures are affecting higher education broadly and have understandably contributed to feelings of uncertainty and frustration across our community. Even as we planned carefully for the expected impacts of the enrollment cliff, there was much we could not fully foresee, including constraints on research funding, changes in international student enrollment, and much more.
I share this context because over the past seven years I have served as chancellor, my decisions have been guided by a singular priority: to provide the strongest possible student experience, while positioning DU to remain vibrant and distinctive in a changing landscape. I stand firmly behind the strategy we are pursuing, and the urgency with which we have acted, and must continue to act. I am deeply proud of the work we have done together, and I believe we have laid critical groundwork for DU’s future.
If I could revisit any aspect of that work, it would be this: I would have invested earlier and more consistently in creating broader visibility and engagement across the full DU community around our strategic opportunities and collaboration. Without question, this could have been done more intentionally—not instead of urgency, but alongside it.
This is not to say that my belief in DU Forward, the vision we developed as a community, has wavered—far from it. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that even amid necessary urgency, there were additional opportunities to widen understanding and alignment as the work accelerated. The moment we are in demands swift action and unified momentum. But speed does not eliminate the need for shared ownership and understanding—particularly at an institution like DU, where collaboration and shared governance are among our greatest strengths. That balance, between speed and collaboration, is difficult to strike in any organization at any time. In this moment, it is especially challenging and very important.
Some may argue that urgency and collaboration are opposing forces in higher education. What I am continuing to learn through this difficult moment is the opposite. When change is clearly anchored to a shared vision, and when people can see how their voices and contributions fit within that vision, urgency becomes a unifying force rather than a divisive one. That alignment matters.
This lesson is shaping how I am leading now.
Over the past several months, we have expanded time for Q&A during our quarterly employee town halls, deepened engagement with campus governance groups, and increased one‑on‑one conversations across the community. These exchanges have been invaluable to me as I continue to learn from DU’s people: their work, their accomplishments, and the challenges they are navigating. I genuinely and gratefully welcome feedback.
We are doing work worth being proud of. We are building an institution that will serve our students not only today, but as they pursue lives and careers of purpose. The exigency of this moment remains—but so does my commitment to ensuring that change is paired with clarity, collaboration, and shared purpose as we confidently lead DU into the future.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor
The University of Denver is facing a difficult budgetary reality, one that has been shaped by a convergence of forces: a challenging national political climate, the enrollment cliff, post‑COVID shifts, and growing skepticism about the value of a college degree. These pressures are affecting higher education broadly and have understandably contributed to feelings of uncertainty and frustration across our community. Even as we planned carefully for the expected impacts of the enrollment cliff, there was much we could not fully foresee, including constraints on research funding, changes in international student enrollment, and much more.
I share this context because over the past seven years I have served as chancellor, my decisions have been guided by a singular priority: to provide the strongest possible student experience, while positioning DU to remain vibrant and distinctive in a changing landscape. I stand firmly behind the strategy we are pursuing, and the urgency with which we have acted, and must continue to act. I am deeply proud of the work we have done together, and I believe we have laid critical groundwork for DU’s future.
If I could revisit any aspect of that work, it would be this: I would have invested earlier and more consistently in creating broader visibility and engagement across the full DU community around our strategic opportunities and collaboration. Without question, this could have been done more intentionally—not instead of urgency, but alongside it.
This is not to say that my belief in DU Forward, the vision we developed as a community, has wavered—far from it. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that even amid necessary urgency, there were additional opportunities to widen understanding and alignment as the work accelerated. The moment we are in demands swift action and unified momentum. But speed does not eliminate the need for shared ownership and understanding—particularly at an institution like DU, where collaboration and shared governance are among our greatest strengths. That balance, between speed and collaboration, is difficult to strike in any organization at any time. In this moment, it is especially challenging and very important.
Some may argue that urgency and collaboration are opposing forces in higher education. What I am continuing to learn through this difficult moment is the opposite. When change is clearly anchored to a shared vision, and when people can see how their voices and contributions fit within that vision, urgency becomes a unifying force rather than a divisive one. That alignment matters.
This lesson is shaping how I am leading now.
Over the past several months, we have expanded time for Q&A during our quarterly employee town halls, deepened engagement with campus governance groups, and increased one‑on‑one conversations across the community. These exchanges have been invaluable to me as I continue to learn from DU’s people: their work, their accomplishments, and the challenges they are navigating. I genuinely and gratefully welcome feedback.
We are doing work worth being proud of. We are building an institution that will serve our students not only today, but as they pursue lives and careers of purpose. The exigency of this moment remains—but so does my commitment to ensuring that change is paired with clarity, collaboration, and shared purpose as we confidently lead DU into the future.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor